The smartphone in your pocket can do wonders more than you think it can. It connects you to a worldwide network of over 3 billion people. It can help you to keep a track of your calorie intake along with suggestions for a healthy lifestyle. We tested 5 different and popular nutrition apps for Android and iOS and gathered their pros and cons listed below:
- FatSecret Calorie Counter
Calorie counter by FatSecret is more than just any basic calorie counter. Along with many other features it also includes dietary diary to keep track of your food intake and to record the calories you burn. It has both Facebook and Google login facilities.
Pros:
- Free for both Android and iOS
- Easy to use
- Provides great meal suggestions
- Provides a list of daily errands such as driving, sitting, desk work etc. to help you break down your day
- Comes with barcode scanning feature
Cons:
- Doesn’t provide Exercise goals such as workouts/week
- Lacks in gym exercises
- Fooducate
Fooducate is meant to be your partner when you go for grocery shopping and is used as a personal nutrition coach. Not only it provides food suggestions but also helps you to compare products and suggest alternatives.
Pros:
- Free for both Android and iOS
- Allows you to scan products
- Easy to use
- Keeps a track of your intake and daily nutrition goals
- Shows the ingredients of products along with healthier alternatives
- Provides rating of products so you can fit them into your daily routine
Cons:
- The extra nutrient and health tracking feature requires premium subscription
- A customizable gluten feature can also be purchased
- MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is an easy to use app that comes with interactive interface. It offers a huge food database with over 5 million different food options. The app is in collaboration with various other apps such as Fitbit, Apple Health etc. to bring the best to you.
Pros:
- It’s free for both Android and iOS
- User friendly and provides interactive interface
- Provides barcode scanning feature
- The app’s pie chart for protein, carbohydrate and fat intake is pretty helpful to keep track
Cons:
- The apps predictions about your weight loss/gain are not accurate
- The apps give you extra calories for the day based on the assumption that you have done some killer cardiovascular exercise
- When you’re making a meal from scratch, it’s really hard to enter every bit of information in the app
- My Diet Coach
What makes this app different than others is that it focuses on the urge to eat rather than changing what you intake. The app also provides inspirational quotes, tips and reminders to help you stay on track.
Pros:
- Free for both Android and iOS
- Reminds you to drink water, eat healthy snacks and important things
- The app features goal setting and then tracks it for you
- It provides special motivational quotes and tips to keep you healthy
Cons:
- The iOS food database is very limited
- Some motivational quotes might be controversial
- The user must declare the danger zones, set a time for reminders and have their phones at those times
- Fitbit
Apart from barcode scanner and recording your meal history, Fitbit tracks your steps and other parts of your life.
Pros:
- You can challenge your friends through the app
- Records your calories burnt, distance travelled and steps
- In collaboration with Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale to help you keep a track of your weight
- Monitors your heart rate and sleep patterns
Cons:
- It has limited food database
